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(No Model.) Y 2 Sheds-Sheet 1- T. WILLETT.

POTTERY MAGHINE.- No. 268,583. Patented Dec. 5. 1882.

W'ITWESSES' 1.1V VENTO Ii W a Y T/wmas Willem? I I By 1 5 Attorney )%L@e i N. Pzrzns. mmmmnmr. Wahingtnn. n. c

"NITED STATES PATENT QFFICEa THOMAS \VILLETT, OF BURSLEM, COUNTY OF STAFFORD, ENGLAND.

POTTERY-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 268,583, dated December 5, 1882.

Application filed July 5, 1882. (No model.) Patented in England March 8, 1881, No. 981; in France September 5, 1881, No. 144,717,

and in Belgium September 6, 1881, No. 55,666.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS WILLETT, a

. subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Burslem, in thecounty of Staftbrd, England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pottery-Machines, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Great Britain and Ireland, No. 981, dated March 8,

1881; in France, No. 144,717, dated Septemare still commonly used, so far as I am informed, throughout the United States, as as in England and elsewhere.

My presentinvention consistsin an improved automatic machine for potters use, designed with reference to practical simplicity and efficiency and more particularly, first, in a novel combination of parts for the actuation of one or more (preferablytwo) tools or profiles by means of continuously-rotating cams, whereby they are lowered and held with great steadiness; secondly, in a novel combination of parts, including means for rotating the camactua-ted tools or profiles, (instead of rotating the molds,) which in practice hasbeen found to give a more perfect shape to the article being manufactured, and also provides for finishing the same in acomparatively quick manner; thirdly, in a novel combination of parts, includinga pair of cams acting simultaneously, and a rotary mold-table having a concentric series of molds so arranged that diametrically-opposite molds form pairs beneath athe respective tools or profiles, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings is a front view of my said improved automatic mawell chine. Fig.2 is atop view thereof, and Fig.3 is a face view of one of its cams; and Fig. 4 is a front view of a modified machine embodying the first part of the invention, with immaterial modifications. Fig. 5. is a top view thereof; and Fig. 6, a side View, partly in section, like letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.

In each of the said machines a driving-pulley, A, is mounted on a vertical shaft, 13, which carries a worm, G. This worm rotates a central worm-wheel, D, on a horizontal overhead shaft, E, which carries at its extremities a pair of cams, F, below which are a pair of tool or,

tion and distance from the axes of the molds,

are common to the preferred form and the modification, and may be of ordinary construction.

The shape of each cam is illustrated by Fig. 3, where an arrow indicates the direction of rotation 1, an eccentric peripheral curve for slowly lowering the tool or profile shaft; 2, a curve concentric with'the axis of rotation to hold the tool or profile to its work and for smoothing and finishing the same, and 3 an incline which permits the tool or profile shaft to quickly ascend so as to carry the tool or profile away from the work.

For convenience the respective sheets of the drawings will be hereinafterreferred to for the two sets of figures which they bear in describing dissimilarities in the preferred machine and the modification.

The shafts Gr (shown on Sheet 1) are simply constructed with smooth upper ends to engage with the peripheries of the cams F. Those shown on sheet 2'are provided with anti-trio tion rollers a. For re-elevating the shafts G spiral springs J, between suitable collars, are shown on Sheet 1, and a weighted cord and Ioo I pulleys, J or, on Sheet 2.

Gr betweenthe guide-projections of the frame I, and connected respectively to said shafts G- by splines, so as to cause the latter to rotate therewith without obstructing their said upand-down motion. It will thus be apparent that the corresponding molds, m, Sheet 1, need simply be supported beneath the said rotary tools or profiles t and supplied with clay or other plastic material, as aforesaid, the 1nachinery being in motion, when said tools or profiles will be lowered by the action of the cams F, and will, by rotating in contact with said plastic material, impart the required shape to the same to form the inside and outside of the pottery or earthenware articles.

To provide for working both tools or profiles simultaneously, so as to equalize the strain on the respective sides of the machine, and at the same time to facilitate filling said non-rotary molds and removing the molded articles therefrom, said cams F are set on the shaft E, Sheet 1, so as to act simultaneously. The mold-table H, Sheet 1, is supported by a central vertical shaft, N, so as to be capable of rotation by hand, and said molds m are held in suitable vertical recesses so arranged in a circular series concentric with the axis of the table that molds diametrically opposite each other form successive pairs beneath the tool or profile shafts G, as shown on Sheet 1. In some cases I use with said arrangement of cam-actuated rotary tools or profiles a fixed mold-table, in

.wliich cases the tool or profile shafts are by preference raised and lowered alternately by so mounting the cams F on the shalt E as to secure this alternate action.

I have shown on Sheet 2 a mold-table, H, fixed, and cams F mounted for alternate action, in connection with non-rotary tool or profile shafts Gand rotary molds, the latter carried in customary manner by ordinaryjigger-spindles O 0, upon which the driven pulleys M are secured, in lieu of upon the tool or profile shafts, the main shaft B being extended downward to the floor in this modification and provided with the drum K at proper height. Said non-rotary shafts G, Sheet 2, are kept from turning, as shown, by, the points of setscrews q within straight grooves 1", formed along said shafts. In some cases I cause such non-rotary tool or profile shafts to make partial rotations upon their axes as they descend by forming spiral grooves or otherwise suitably-shaped grooves therein for said set-screws q to work in, so that by affixing the tools or profiles eccentrically they will be advanced or 1 shaft B, the worm C, worm-wheel D, horizontal shaft E, cams F, and springs J, and the drum K, belts L, and pulleys M with the tool or profile shafts G, substantially as shown on Sheet 1 of the accompanying drawings, as herein specified.

3. The combination of the pair of cams F, set on their shaft E so as to act simultaneously, the pair of rotary tool or profile shafts G, with their springs J and tools or profiles t and means for rotating said shafts, and the rotary mold-table H, with non-rotary molds m, arranged therein so as to formsuccessive pairs of diametricallyopposite molds beneath said tool or profile shafts, substantially as herein described, and illustrated on Sheet lot the accompanying drawings.

THOMAS WILLE'IT.

Witnesses:

JOHN I RoYLE, Enw. JOYCE. 

